Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 357 The Deal with the Night Owl
After listening to Liang Yuzhi and Li Yue's words, Li Wei nodded. Indeed, at this point, it would be a huge loss if they couldn't get a viscount title.

In addition, he also realized that his second aunt was actually quite insecure about her spellcasting skills, and that Night Owl was just trying to bait her by offering her magical knowledge and experience.

It's almost turned into a pouty mouth.

She was just too embarrassed to say it.

Of course, Li Wei didn't mind. They were a team now. Thomas could be the tank, Zhao Xuanxuan was the pathfinder, Li Yue was the crowd control and damage dealer, he was the scout, and Liang Yuzhi was the spellcaster. Everyone needed to be strengthened.

Now is not only a time to strengthen the territory and lay the foundation for its future, but also a time for each of them to solidify their foundation and prepare, because there are only three years and eleven months left until the next cross-border mission!

In a sense, this is no less than a death knell.

Therefore, Li Wei will do his best to support his second aunt in any way she asks.

This is a fundamental quality that a team leader must possess.

"Okay, then I'll talk to her."

At this moment, Li Wei smiled easily at Liang Yuzhi and Li Yue, and silently confirmed his decision.

The next second, he felt the Exploration Card inside his body tremble violently and fly out uncontrollably. The next moment, a point of light shone from it, which then rapidly expanded, engulfing the surroundings and even the entire world.

Li Wei felt as if he had been launched into space by a rocket, and had arrived directly in outer space. But when he looked up, he saw that outer space had transformed into a majestic pass, covered by a mysterious magic circle. He could vaguely see countless soldiers patrolling on the pass walls, and countless Nirvana camps in the wilderness outside the pass.

Holy crap, is this Thorn Pass?

"Yes, and not really."

A voice suddenly rang in Li Wei's mind. Before he could react, Night Owl was already standing in front of him. After half a year, she seemed a little haggard, but she was still like a plum blossom in the snow, proudly standing alone.

"Greetings, Lord Garrison Commander."

Li Wei sighed inwardly, realizing that proper etiquette should not be neglected.

Night Owl didn't speak, but observed him with a sharp gaze, though perhaps there was a stubborn element to that sharpness.
Li Wei's heart remained calm as he looked back. With his current +6 perception, he wasn't really afraid of anything as long as he didn't make a move.

They stared at each other for a full minute before the owl suddenly laughed, as if the icy world had instantly transformed into springtime, with flowers blooming in abundance, displaying a thousand charms and myriad colors.

"You have a lot of resentment towards me?"

"You flatter me, sir. I just feel that my achievements today are not in vain, and I am happier than anyone else to see you make even greater progress."

Li Wei cupped his hands again, his tone sincere and calm, implying that he had already repaid the favor. He said, "You go your way, I'll go mine. If you try to use past favors to influence this deal, I will not back down."

Night Owl was speechless, then looked him over a few more times. "So you really slept with my two sisters?"

"My lord, please watch your words!"

Night Owl sighed softly and looked into the distance.

"I'm having a tough time at Thorn Pass, and I'm just barely managing to stay afloat. For the past few months, I've been trying to persuade your little sister, Little Moon, but I really don't know if she's bewitched or what. She's already in such dire straits that she has to sleep in a dormitory and has sold all her equipment and weapons to buy you a horse. Is she really that confident that you will never abandon her? Sometimes I think you're the succubus! What kind of bewitching magic did you use on her to make her follow you so devotedly?"

Li Wei remained silent. He didn't really think there was anything wrong with it; it was just a two-way street.

Night Owl also fell silent, and one could sense the deep sorrow in her heart.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, "Fifty three-star warhorses are the maximum number I can offer from Thorn Pass. I can tell you frankly, that's not enough. A rare Dawn Knight card can make an experienced, battle-hardened veteran instantly loyal to me and become my confidant. Didn't you use a rare Knight card and a rare Scholar card to bribe your so-called second aunt and so-called Little Moon sister?"

"Therefore, I will add a magic manual that I personally wrote, which contains my understanding of Sequence Three magic over the past thirty years. As long as you have this manual, your second aunt can save at least twenty years of her time, and may even be able to build a basic mage tower by this time next year. Do you know how much it costs to build a basic mage tower if you apply to higher authorities?"

"It's very simple: ten Duke Ver's Medals of Honor, 2000 War Points, plus 30 standard gold coins."

"Do you understand? Under normal circumstances, my magic manual is enough to buy two Dawn Knight cards that you have. These things are not priceless, but they are usually hard to find. You can't find them when you need them, and you don't need them when you find them. Otherwise, if I had three months to go to the capital and post a bounty, I could buy an identical card after three months by paying half the price."

"In short, Li Wei, there's no need for us to hide anything. I did indeed consider you my second most trusted confidant in the Ministry of the Interior after Hathaway, and I even had your future path planned out—" "Now, this is the situation. I urgently need a trusted subordinate, so I need this rare Dawn Knight card. Do you agree to the exchange?"

Surprisingly, Night Owl was very straightforward and explained the whole story clearly. In any case, Li Wei couldn't understand why she had any reason to lie to him.

The only concern is whether this magic manual is real or fake. My second aunt didn't come along, which is a huge mistake.

"Sir, may I let my second aunt take a look at this manual first? Once she confirms its authenticity, I will immediately agree to the exchange."

"Why not!"

With a casual wave of his hand, Night Owl seemed to cast some kind of mysterious spell on the manual before handing it to Li Wei.

Upon opening it, I found the first fifteen pages densely filled with all sorts of symbols and formulas that I couldn't understand at all, but after that, it was all blank. I get it, I understand it perfectly!
"Thank you for your understanding, sir. Could you please take me home first?"

Li Wei said sincerely that Night Owl was not his enemy, and he didn't need to gloat over her current situation. As long as the transaction was fair and just, he would be happy to treat her as an elder he could keep his distance from and treat with great respect.

"No rush. After you get back, you'll have three minutes to check. The magic will take effect in three minutes and will automatically incinerate unless you complete the transaction. Also, do you have any dropped five-star job cards? If you have any extras, I can buy them for 50,000 standard gold coins plus one silver token each."

"If you agree to the deal, I can't give you much of a premium, but I can consider it a favor I owe you. Or you can go directly to Hathaway and tell her what I said, and ask her to be your territory's advisor. How about that?"

Is that so?
Li Wei's heart stirred. Currently, only Liang Yuzhi and Li Yue can use the five-star profession cards he obtained from the dropped purple cards. Others will have to wait if they want to use them.

Keeping them in your possession won't generate much profit unless you sell them.

That's fine.

Besides, this was his former boss, so he had to save face.

As for Hathaway, well, that's a pleasant surprise.

Of course, most importantly, Li Wei felt that the Thorn Pass front line guarded by Night Owl was very likely the border of the world where his territory was located. Otherwise, why wouldn't Night Owl be afraid of the anti-smuggling department's investigation for such a high-profile transaction?
Therefore, considering the future, we should still offer our support.

"Alright, sir, you flatter me. It is my honor to be able to help you."

At that moment, Li Wei took out three five-star class cards: a five-star cavalry card, a five-star hunter card, and a five-star mountain dweller card. He also had four-star drop cards, but they probably wouldn't be worth much from Night Owl.

As he handed over the three five-star professional cards, a flash of starlight appeared not far away, and a blurry figure appeared. The person stared sternly at Li Wei. Holy crap, the anti-smuggling department.
Li Wei was startled, but the next second, Night Owl casually tossed out an official document, which the man took and left expressionlessly.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. We're at wartime right now, and the defense of Thorn Pass is the top priority. Even if this lawsuit goes all the way to the great six-star lord, I'm not afraid, so you have even less to fear! But this transaction will definitely be included in your future income and you'll need to pay the full amount of taxes."

Night Owl smiled slightly, accepted the three five-star job cards, and even her gaze towards him became much more amiable. Then, as if chatting casually, she said, "Your riverside fortress still needs to build a magic mine. I happen to have a spot here. If you need it, I'll give you a 50% discount, only charging you 100,000 gold coins. How about that?"

“Thank you, sir, but the Duke promised to build me a magic mine,” Li Wei quickly replied.

"Oh, you're really lucky, not bad, not bad!" Night Owl seemed a little surprised upon hearing this, forced a smile, and ended the transaction with a wave of his hand, no longer bothering to put on an act.

She must be in a really bad mood.

The next second, Li Wei reappeared in the territory building, and his territory treasury had once again received 150,000 standard gold coins and three silver tokens, bringing his total wealth to 330,000 standard gold coins and 80,000 barbarian gold coins.

As for the enchanted manual, it was also brought back.

"Second Aunt, please take a look and see if it works. I need to complete the transaction within three minutes."

Li Weifei said quickly.

“Okay, let me take a look. But it shouldn’t be a big problem. Night Owl is just used to controlling people’s hearts and is too utilitarian. He’s fine, and he wouldn’t resort to such low-level tactics.”

As Liang Yuzhi spoke, she quickly stepped forward and flipped through the pages. She became completely engrossed after reading only the first page, and without even looking at the rest, she rushed to her laboratory.

"No problem, Xiao Wei, you really are my precious nephew!"

(End of this chapter)